If I Saw You In Heaven
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Santana's dead. But her introduction to the afterlife is more amazing than she could have imagined.


_**LbN: Quickly realizing that 100 straight days of AUs will be nigh on impossible, since I have no internet at home. So I'm shooting for every other day. Not too sure about this one, but I hope you all like it. Happy reading.**_

Santana opened her eyes. The air was clear and bright, and smelled sweet. She was resting against a large tree, and when she looked around, she spotted a small boy near the entrance to a large hedge maze. "Excuse me?" she said quietly, trying not to frighten him.

He looked up at her with a bright smile. "Hello, Santana."

She tried to remember where she knew the boy from. He was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place the face. "Um… where am I? And… how do you know me?"

His smile did not waver one bit. "I've known you forever. You are in Heaven."

She blinked, and it was curious to find that she felt no fear. In fact, she felt as though she'd known this from the moment she'd opened her eyes, but hadn't understood it. "And you are?" she asked.

"I AM."

And this too, she felt she'd known from the beginning. "I'm dead."

"Yes, you are. A car accident."

And again she felt no fear.

"Fear is a human trait. You have left the human plane."

"Then who is this doing the talking?"

"Everything there ever was about Santana Lopez that was more than flesh and bone," he answered, standing. He took her hand gently and led her to the maze. "Go on in. You'll find some people you've sorely missed."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I am everywhere in my kingdom," the Lord answered, "but I like to welcome those I've called home."

Santana stepped into the maze, and the opening closed behind her, the hedges growing before her eyes. There was a dead (ha ha, she thought) end to her left, so she headed right. There was birdsong in the air, and a pleasant breeze rustled her loose cotton shirt. The air smelled sweet as she journeyed through the rows. Vaguely, she realized that the labyrinth was situated on a hill, however she didn't get tired as she climbed. All was quiet for at least an hour, until she came to the first large plaza of the maze. Here there was a crowd of people, all situated around long tables laden with food. She hadn't noticed until this moment, but she was starting to get hungry. She walked along the middle table, looking for a place to sit, and finally found one - directly across from…

"Rachel?"

"Hello, Santana," she said, smiling brightly. "Please, sit. The spinach puffs are very delicious."

Santana sat, still staring at her wife. "I… He said… I didn't expect -"

"I know. Everything's a bit strange at first, but I promise you're okay. Eat," she urged gently.

Santana scanned the table, and took a bowl of pasta, and some olives as Rachel poured her some water. "This is… real?"

"Yes. I've been here since that fan shot me after my show five years again. How did it happen for you?"

"Car accident."

She nodded. "I...I tried to watch over you as best I could. But I'm not a Guardian - I didn't want to take that step."

"What's a Guardian? And why not?" Santana asked, curious to find out about their new world.

"A Guardian angel. You don't get to pick your...um...assignment. I might not have gotten to watch over you. And… angels aren't actually the way most people picture them. Notice there haven't been loads of people with wings flying around? Real angels are terrifying. I would have undergone a complete change of form - you wouldn't have been able to recognize me."

"And...now what?"

"We have a house, somewhere. We'll have to walk through the maze to find it."

"Find it? You don't know where it is?"

"I wanted to wait for you here. We can go together now."

Fear, sadness, grief, and all other troubles may have been human traits all left to the earthly plane, but love certainly wasn't. Santana felt it bloom in her chest at her wife's words. "Together sounds good," she said.

If she'd ever thought about it specifically, Santana would have expected Heaven to be kept in perpetual daytime. There was a form of night, however, lit by dazzling stars of brilliant colors. By the time night fell, they still hadn't made it to the City to find their house. That wasn't to say that they were having a bad time in the expedition.

Rachel had explored the maze directly around the Welcome Table, and she showed Santana how to get back. She placed her hand against the hedge, and an opening appeared with a path directly to the plaza. "Once you find something," she said, "you can always get back."

"Sort of like a checkpoint in a video game."

Rachel giggled and took her hand. "Exactly."

Now the plazas they found, as they trekked higher up the hill, were full of cots and luxurious beds. Rachel pulled Santana onto one and cuddled into her side. "We can rest."

"Are these for people who haven't found their place yet?" Santana asked.

"Yes. And there are hundreds of things to do in the maze. You just have to find the plazas you like. Some people spend the night in the maze."

They didn't sleep at all that night, more interested in talking. Santana felt like she'd never want to sleep again - it wasn't like she actually needed to - now that she had Rachel back. She listened intently as Rachel talked, only speaking when she had a question, and before they knew it the sun had risen again.

They found another plaza, with another banquet table, but did not linger. Breakfast sandwiches in hand, they continued through the maze. It was a slow, pleasant stroll up through the winding hedges. There were other resting plazas, banquet plazas, plazas for games and entertainment…. Santana was astonished (or as close to it as she could be) when they came across children playing.

In answer to the unasked question, Rachel said, "Someone who has lived a full life will take the form they enjoyed the most. A child who dies grows up here."

It was twilight again when they reached the Gates of the City. The moment the stepped out of the hedges, they both felt an inexplicable pull in their souls. The golden streets stretched out before them, criss-crossing and turning into smaller side streets. They didn't know how long they walked, but it felt like no time at all before they were in front of a small Tuscan style villa. There was a hammock outside, and smells of baking bread came from an open window.

Santana more heard the voice than felt it.

"I have prepared a place for you," the Lord said. "Welcome home. You will never go hungry; you will never be lonely. You will want for nothing."

With matching sighs of awe, they strode forward. Santana was about to reach for the door when she felt eyes watching her. She turned around, and spotted a woman coming out of the house across the street. She looked about forty years old, and was smiling despite the tears in her eyes.

"Santana," she said.

And Santana recognized that voice. "Abuela?"

The woman pulled her and Rachel into a tight hug.

In that moment, Santana felt a joy she'd never imagined. She was home, and ready to face eternity.

_**Fin**_

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><p><span><em><strong>LbN: Thanks for reading! There's still time to vote for AU 5.<strong>_


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